Springfield couple portrays Santa and Mrs. Claus each year

Dec. 6, 2012

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Written by

Juliana

GOODWIN

Mike and Judy Breeding play Mr. and Mrs. Claus at many events but say their favorite is dressing up at Central Christian Church. The church hosts children from the Missouri Hotel and Campbell Elementary. / News-Leader file photo

Cookie sale during parade

There is a cookie sale during the parade to benefit Reading is Fundamental of Springfield, which provides free books to every first- and second-grader in Springfield schools three times a year. The eighth annual cookie sale starts at 1 p.m. and ends after the parade at two locations: the Penmac building at 447 South Ave. and the Gillioz Theatre lobby on Park Central East. Large cookies, coffee and hot chocolate are for sale, as well as trays of cookies for $10 and $20, or a half dozen for $2. Reading is Fundamental of Springfield is a part of the National RIF program. It began as a project of the Junior League in 1979. It has been a free standing board since 1982 and over the years have donated more than 400,000 books to children in Springfield.

Parade information

The Springfield Christmas Parade is 2-4 p.m. Saturday, starting at South Avenue and Mount Vernon Street. Turn to or click on today’s Weekend cover story for more information about the parade.

On PAGE 4A: Meet the man who brings Groucho Marx to life

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Mike and Judy Breeding can tell you that life as Mr. and Mrs. Claus can be pretty exciting.

And unpredictable.

One year, Springfield Mill and Lumber Co. caught fire during the Downtown Springfield Christmas Parade, bringing it to a halt. As Santa tried to make his way to the car, he was mobbed by kids.

Another year, Santa’s elastic broke and his britches came tumbling down.

And there was that time that one little boy was just so excited as he climbed on Santa’s lap that the toddler could barely contain himself, literally. All of a sudden, Mike felt a warmth running down his leg.

It was time for Santa to take a break.

“We’ve had a lot of fun,” laughed Judy.

Married 37 years, the Breedings have been making children smile (or scream, depending on the child’s age), for decades.

You’ll find them at the Downtown Springfield Christmas Parade this weekend. Mike has been Santa in the parade for 30 years; Judy joined him roughly nine years ago, but the two have been playing the parts their entire marriage.

It’s a tradition that goes back to his grandfather.

Santa in training

Mike Breeding was in grade school the first time he slipped into a Santa suit.

Originally, his grandpa, A.D. McDonald, played Santa for the town of Gainesville, where Mike grew up.

Mike discovered this secret as a boy when he found a Santa suit in his grandpa’s closet. His grandmother had made the suit in the 1920s or ’30s out of sacks that she dyed red. The beard and wig were made out of cotton balls.

When his grandfather died, Mike’s grandma gave him the suit and told him to put it on.

He was 5 feet, 11 inches tall before high school, a big kid and perfect for the part.

One of seven grandchildren, Mike dressed as Santa for his cousins and never stopped.

When he and Judy married, but before they had children, Judy would show up unannounced at the homes of friends who had kids. The friends would be perplexed but invite her in and not long after she’d say, “I think I hear bells.”

Then, ta-da, Santa Mike would appear.

“We do it all for the kids,” they both said.

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They don’t accept payment and only appear at community or charity events.

“We’re free, so we’re popular,” Mike laughed.

By the end of May, they’re already booked through the Christmas season.

They’ve dressed up for nursing homes, Mercy Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Festival of Lights, but their favorite gig is Central Christian Church, where they host children from the Missouri Hotel and Campbell Elementary, a school where many of the children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Those kids don’t ask for much. Forget Nintendo; sometimes they ask for a chest of drawers, a warm blanket — one even asked for teeth for his mom.

The saddest was “can you get my dad out of prison,” said Judy, as she wiped her eye.

“Those kids get to her. She hugs every one of them,” Mike said.“These are beautiful kids. It’s an unbelievable experience. It gets you in the Christmas spirit.”

Being Santa

Mr. and Mrs. Claus may not charge for appearances, but it’s not cheap being the famous Christmas couple, especially Santa.

A good suit costs a couple of hundred dollars, and he has six or seven. A beard can run $500-$600. For years, he used yak hair beards, but he has recently switched to synthetic because it’s washable.

Pants wear out quickly when you’re Santa, so Mrs. Claus does a lot of mending.

And then there’s the dry cleaning.

It takes an hour just to get in costume.

No matter, they love it — especially the look on the children’s faces when they really believe.

“There is believing and pretending to believe. At a certain age, they really believe. They draw pictures and bring them to us,” Judy said.

The couple are members of Highland Springs Country Club, where they have also played the part of the Kringles. Mike, an insurance agent, knows a lot of the families, so when a child would sit on his lap, he’d say “ ‘Oh, you live in the yellow house,’ and their face would light up. The kids would just freak out: ‘He’s the real one,’” Mike said.

Wisdom with age

You learn a few things when you’re St. Nicholas.

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Like if you’re on foot, never stop in a crowd; you’ve got to shuffle or you’ll get mobbed and never be able to move.

You learn that some events can be sweltering, so there are Santa suits with pockets built in for ice packs.

They’ve learned to bring a ladder because Mrs. Claus is pretty short and wears a hoop skirt under her costume. One year she couldn’t climb up on the wagon float, so she had to get in a pickup truck and back up to the wagon to climb up.

Younger children tend to gravitate to Mrs. Claus, who is less menacing. Think about it: Santa is a big hairy fellow, and that can scare the dickens out of some kids. But parents love those photos and even if the child is screaming, they plop their child on his lap.

“You hope you haven’t scarred them,” Mike said.

And with age, you begin to grow into the role: Mike jokes that he has the belly and can grow the beard.

So what does he do when kids don’t believe?

Nothing.

When their own children questioned, he and Judy just said: “If you believe there is, there is. I still believe. He may be a fictitious character, but I believe,” Mike said.

And if you still believe and plan to leave St. Nicholas some treats this year, just FYI: This Santa prefers red velvet cake over cookies.